Why is Victory Day celebrated on May 9 in Russia but May 8 in Western countries?
The German Instrument of Surrender was signed late on the 8th of May 1945 in Berlin-Karlshorst, but due to the difference between Central European time and Moscow time, it was already the 9th of May in the Soviet Union when the ceremony concluded. The Soviet government announced the victory on the 9th of May, establishing that date as the official commemoration, while most Western countries observe the 8th of May as Victory in Europe Day.
When did Victory Day become a public holiday in Russia?
Victory Day was inaugurated in 1945 following Germany's surrender, but it became a non-working public holiday only in 1965 in the Russian SFSR. The large-scale parades and mass celebrations that define the modern holiday also resumed in 1965 after a twenty-year hiatus following the original parade on the 24th of June 1945.
What is the Immortal Regiment march on Victory Day?
The Immortal Regiment is a civil procession held in major cities across Russia and around the world every the 9th of May. Introduced in 2012, it sees participants carry photographs of relatives who served in the Second World War. Up to 12 million Russians have taken part nationwide in recent years, and President Vladimir Putin has joined the Moscow march since 2015.
What is the Victory Banner associated with Victory Day in Russia?
The Victory Banner is the Soviet military flag raised on the Reichstag building in Berlin on the 1st of May 1945 during the Battle of Berlin. It was the fifth banner created by soldiers under battlefield conditions and the only one prepared for the Reichstag that survived the fighting. Each year on the 9th of May, a replica is carried by a color guard of the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment through Red Square.
Which countries no longer celebrate Victory Day on 9 May?
Several countries have shifted or dropped the 9th of May commemoration. Poland moved to the 8th of May in 2015, Ukraine formally cancelled the 9th of May holiday on the 29th of May 2023 in favor of an the 8th of May observance, and Moldova stopped recognizing the 9th of May as a public holiday in 2023. Latvia's parliament passed a law on the 20th of April 2023 banning all public celebrations on the 9th of May except for Europe Day.
Why were there two German surrender signings at the end of World War II?
The first surrender was signed in Reims, France on the 7th of May 1945, but Joseph Stalin objected because the Soviet signatory, Ivan Susloparov, was a low-ranking officer not authorized to sign, and because Stalin believed the surrender should be signed before all Allied Supreme Commands in Berlin, the center of Nazi aggression. A second, revised instrument was signed in Berlin-Karlshorst late on the 8th of May 1945, with Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signing for Germany and Marshal Georgy Zhukov signing for the Red Army.